As AI is continuing to grow in use across the US, Colorado colleges and universities have struggled to adjust to the new effects of it.
Even if colleges prohibit AI generated text, detecting whether or not a student used AI can be inaccurate, sometimes leading to unjust allegations against students who haven’t used AI, which can lead to the dismissal of the student.
The company behind ChatGPT shut down its own tool for detecting text generated by AI on July 20, 2023.
Common App, a college application tool used by 1,140 colleges in Aug. 2023, included a restriction on “substantive” AI use, in college admissions applications as a part of its fraud policy.
According to the Colorado School of Mines, if they have a suspicion of misconduct they are to check it with the Mines Academic Integrity/Misconduct Policy. If they have confirmed the suspicion, the student can face disciplinary action.
The Colorado School of Mines also uses a web browser called Turnitin to help assist them if they suspect a student has used generative AI to complete an assignment and/or admission essay.
The School of Mines Office of Community Standards also has resources for professors and staff to help make decisions based on the information they were given if they suspect academic misconduct.
Colorado State University believes that the use of generative AI is cheating and plagiarism, and will proceed with disciplinary actions if made aware of any academic fraud.
While some colleges are strict on AI use, others like CU Boulder, encourage students to use AI responsibly along with these guidelines: “Be real. AI Should Augment, Not Replace Humans, they must be Transparent, they must use Citations and Check Them for Accuracy, they must monitor the AI to help Reduce Bias, they also must protect CU’s Data and they must Respect Individual Privacy.”
Colorado College is taking a similar approach as CU Boulder, while they know there are risks of AI they choose to allow students to use it responsibly.
Along with Colorado College knowing about the risks of AI, the Critical AI Literacy (CAIL) at CC examines the inherent issues of bias, inequality, and access within such systems. It also raises awareness of ethical, environmental, and labor concerns in their development and implementation.
Colorado universities and colleges are less stern on the use of AI than some states. Colorado, overall, has chosen to accept the fact that it is something that is not going to go away, so they choose to incorporate it into their systems and curriculums.
